1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to self-aligning hunting decoys, and more particularly to an apparatus for mounting decoys.
2. Description of the State of the Art
It is well known that decoys resembling a particular type of fowl must be sufficiently realistic to allure game fowl flying overhead. Because game fowl have a tendency to face into the wind while feeding, care must be taken when setting out decoys to assure that the decoys are faced into the wind. If during a days hunting the wind changes significantly, the hunter must then manually re-adjust each of the decoys so that they again face into the wind.
To solve this problem, game fowl decoys that are rotatably or movably mounted on a rod or stake have been developed along with wind vane features or shapes that automatically face the decoys into the wind. Accordingly, any significant changes in the direction of the wind results in the decoy automatically rotating about the rod or stake as a pivot point so that the decoy always faces into the wind. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,457 to Barrett discloses an elongated sleeve mounted within a solid body portion of a decoy that is rotatably positioned on a rod or stake. The sleeve is made of metal, and it may be coated with a nylon or polytetrafluoroethylene material so as to reduce friction between the upper portion of the stake and the sleeve. The Gagnon Sr., patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,428 discloses a decoy having a socket mounted substantially at the center of gravity for receiving a stake. The end of the stake received by the socket has a reduced diameter allowing the decoy to rock as well as pivot on the stake. Cunningham, in his U.S. Pat. No. 1,066,587, discloses hollowed decoys which may be compactly nested with other like decoys during transportation. When in use, a head is attached to the body, and a sleeve or socket is also attached interiorly from the back. This sleeve or socket receives a stake which may be driven into the bed of a pond to anchor the decoy.
Barrett, Gagnon Sr., and Cunningham each teach the use of sleeves or sockets in decoys for reception of stakes, so that the decoys can be rotatably or movably mounted. However, the mounting bracket disclosed in Barrett requires that a solid body decoy be used, which does not allow nesting the decoys in one another for transportation and storage. The Gagnon Sr., and Cunningham decoys require that the sleeves or sockets be mounted to a single point located at the center of gravity thereof, which requires an accurate determination of the center of gravity and limits versatility. Furthermore, a single point mounting does not lend itself to a great deal of stability.